


Back to Zero

by S_L_Feola



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Slow Burn, plot heavy, spoilers everywhere, talking major spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-25 00:05:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10752576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S_L_Feola/pseuds/S_L_Feola
Summary: It's been eighteen years since the party on Meridian. Sara's been stuck in stasis for seventeen of them. And, as usual, no real problems have been solved without the hero, but complications abound. Slow burn. Sara/Peebee, Scott/Cora, Gil/Reyes, maybe more. Spoilers everywhere. Darkening the tone, playing with the story, and enjoying the hell out of these characters.





	1. Stasis

“Pathfinder,  Sara is awake.” SAM’s voice startled Scott Ryder out of a barely conscious-day dream. It hadn’t been his best one, but he could still imagine his kids’ voices as they played in the background, the fertile sand on Eos, the smell of roses, Cora’s sweet smile –

“That’s not something you joke about, SAM.” He brought himself back. The rickety chair he was sitting on helped as it flattened his ass and he had to readjust himself for the umpteenth time. He pulled his head up and rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes as he reacclimated to the LED lights of the cryo chamber. Once a week for the past seventeen years he’d be there and he’d yet to actually grow accustomed to the eeriness of the place. It was reserved for those who had somehow made it on the ark and were terminally ill, awaiting a cure, or those forced back into cryo due to…complications in Heleus. It was depressing. And quiet. But mostly depressing.

“It is not a joke, Pathfinder. Sara Ryder is exhibiting normal brain activity associated with consciousness and is ready to be taken out of stasis.

Shocked and just a bit excited, Scott’s body reacted before he could mentally process SAM’s words. Jumping out of the chair, he knocked it down with a resounding _clank_ that could’ve woken the dead and headed straight for the door, frantically searching for Dr. Harry Carlyle.

Unable to find him, but spotting his assistant, Dr. Lia Herrera, he motioned frantically toward the cryo chamber, “Sara. It’s Sara. SAM says she’s good to go. SAM says – holy shit…”

Lia put down her datapad and rushed back with Scott to Sara’s stasis pod. As she checked over the pod, Scott antsed around in the background, hopping lightly from foot to foot and patting his pants.

It’d been seventeen years. Seventeen years since Peebee had dragged Sara’s body back to the Tempest after what was supposed to have been a simple RemTech exploration mission. Seventeen years since Sara had hit his arm and told him to not to do anything stupid until she got back.

Seventeen years since the second human Pathfinder was taken out of commission and no one but Peebee really knew why. SAM had been disconnected, they’d gone AWOL, and then when Peebee finally signaled the Tempest for emergency extraction, Sara was already hemorrhaging. He’d assumed Sara had used RemTech without SAM’s help, but Peebee had refused to divulge anything. In fact, Peebee hardly said two words the entire time they were taking Sara into the medbay and then into SAM Node.

She’d stuck around for a few days after Lexi had explained to them that Sara was beyond her help and that the best she could do was stick Sara in a stasis pod and let SAM help her fix and regenerate arteries and brain tissue. Of course, Lexi was far more eloquent in her explanation, but Scott couldn’t remember even half of the specifics. All he could think about was that Sara was practically dead in a pod meant to preserve life – not heal it.

Peebee took it harder, he thought. He wasn’t actually sure. When it became clear that sticking Sara in a stasis pod was probably just to avoid having a funeral, she’d fled the scene. No word to anyone. No goodbyes. Just gone. He’d been angry with her, at first. How could she profess to love Sara and then just leave so callously, so fast? She’d said she was part of the family – whether she wanted to be or not – but she’d abandoned them almost as soon as possible after Sara – no. Sara hadn’t died.

As days turned into weeks that turned into months that turned into years, his anger ebbed away. When he thought of Peebee now, he just felt sad. He’d seen the way his sister and her had interacted. How they’d fall in step when out on the field, how’d Sara and Peebee would satellite each other in any room, or how they’d talk each other into ridiculous situations that they’d then need the other to get out of. The year he’d spent with the Tempest crew before Sara’s incident had been one of the best he’d ever had. It also allowed him brief glimpses into who Sara had grown up to be. It was the first time he’d seen her really, truly happy. And he couldn’t help but feel that Peebee had been trying to delay mourning the loss of that same happiness.

The sound of a cane by the door brought Scott back to the weirdness of the present.

Scott stood back and watched as Dr. Carlyle limped into the room, presumably having been notified of Sara’s condition by SAM. Sara hadn’t died. It’d been seventeen years and for all intents and purposes, she was in a coma, but she’d lived. And hell if Dr. Carlyle wasn’t prying the pod door open and he’d heard his sister’s first gasp in almost two decades.

“Welcome back, Sara Ryder,” Dr. Carlyle smiled down at her.

A small, raspy voice answered back, “Usually, people call me Pathfinder.”

Dr. Carlyle’s smile dropped. And then it struck Scott. It’d been seventeen damn years. How was he going to explain… _everything_?


	2. Worst Briefing Ever

Sara slouched against the bench, her hands held her head as she fought back a mild headache. No one had talked to her directly since she made that remark to Dr. Carlyle and her annoyance was bubbling up slowly. Waking up out of stasis for a second time wasn’t something she’d ever imagine she’d have to do again, but very little surprised her anymore out here in Andromeda. Still, she couldn’t get any answers out of anyone, including Scott, and as much as that pissed her off, it worried her a hell of a lot more.

Scott had barely looked at her as they’d hurried her into what they said was the Tempest and she hadn’t recognized anyone else. SAM wasn’t even responding in their private channel. She’d decided to lay low until someone calmed down enough to hold a civil conversation with her.

The last thing she remembered was opening a vault on H-5668b with Peebee and the next thing she knew, an old and grizzled version of Dr. Carlyle was standing above her looking like he’d seen a ghost.

They’d given her a cup of coffee, just like they had the first time they’d woken her up from stasis. She’d recalled the first one tasting a lot better, but coffee was coffee, so she wasn’t complaining. She could feel the adrenaline kick start her system as she took in everything around her before they’d rushed her out of the cryo bay, into the tram, and then into the ship. She also recalled better bedside manners, but maybe that was wishful thinking.

Still, her first time out of stasis hadn’t been so rough, even with their first contact with the Scourge and the rude awakening that was Habitat 7.

She had heard Scott and Dr. Carlyle animatedly talking behind her as a young woman did her post-stasis physical. Couldn’t exactly make out the words, but managed to pick out pieces like “Council” and “Kesh” and “Is this even possible?” None of which actually did anything to reassure her.

Scott had then wordlessly escorted her. Which was weird. In the many instances she’d been near death, Scott would usually crack a joke to ease the tension, or hug her until she was forced to push him off, or at least just say ‘hi.’

But something was off about him. He looked to be about a half inch taller, broader in the shoulders, greyer. This wasn’t the Scott she’d seen in what seemed like a few hours ago. This was someone else entirely, so she followed his lead and kept quiet. It would, at the very least, ease the small pounding in the back of her skull.

To say the Tempest was different would’ve been…an understatement. She hadn’t been able to see much on her way up to the vidcom room, but the interior looked like it’d seen better days and then some. Blue had been switched to lavender and the paint was peeling, ladders were rusting, wiring was out in the open just waiting for an accident. Gil would’ve had a heart attack if he’d seen the way his baby was being treated.

Crew was different, too. She hadn’t seen an alien this entire time and for some reason, that unnerved her. So far, she’d seen two women – one about twenty something, the other looked to be in her fifties – and two men, aged somewhere in the middle. They were talking in the research center, occasionally glancing up toward her and then quickly diverting their gaze. Whispers floated up to tickle her ears.

“You sure we should be heading to the Nexus so soon? She just woke up.”

“Last time she woke out of stasis, she went straight into the hell pit that Ryder-1 used to be. Give her some credit, Toby.”

“All I’m saying is that I remember coming out of stasis and it wasn’t so…smooth. Besides, it’s been years – who’s to say she hasn’t fried her brain and become the second coming of Sloane Kelly? Did they give her the serum?”

“I think it was in the coffee.”

“Because that’s not creepy.”

“No Sloane clone, got it.”

“Don’t question the Pathfinder, Toby. Just go inform the Nexus that we’re arriving with her. Tell Lexi, too. She might be convinced to skip her conference early for this.”

“Might be? I think she’d jump at the chance to examine the former Pathfinder.”

“I mean, she was Pathfinder before Scott, Ren. Lexi probably examined her _a lot_ back in the day.”

“I’m going to pretend I don’t know what you mean by that.”

“I heard Ryder had a thing for asari.”

“It’s Lexi, though. She doesn’t date patients, remember?”

“Oh, she reminds me. Constantly.”

“Does she look pale to you guys?”

“Focus. Contact the Nexus.”

“But she’s in the vidcom room. I don’t think we’re supposed to disturb her.”

“Use the public terminal. I know you know how to use it. You keep leaving the extranet open on less than savory search queries and if you think you’ll get a rise out of me, you won’t.”

“Ren, I think Toby’s right. She does look a bit pale from here.”

Curious, Sara stood up, stretched, and meandered toward the railing. Her arms rested against the bar and her she crossed her legs as she looked downward.

Her lip and eyebrow quirked, “You know _she_ can hear you, right?”

A soft “shit” was heard as they scurried back to what was presumably their stations. One of the males, the blonde she was assuming was Toby, gave her a toothy smile and waved before heading off with the others.

They were an interesting bunch, she guessed. Gossiped like Kallo and Suvi on steroids. But they weren’t her crew. And that, above all else, was probably the cause of the huge pit in her stomach that kept telling her that something wasn’t right. Where _was_ everybody?

“Ascent is go,” crackled from the ship’s speakers. A voice she didn’t know. Just like everything else around here. With a sigh, she went back to the bench. It was comfortable. Sort of. At least that hadn’t changed.

 *

When Sara woke up again, the lights were dimmed. The ship was on night cycle. Eerie silence gave her goosebumps. As she shifted to get a better position, Sara noticed a blurry silhouette sitting on the other side of the room. Elbows on spread knees, shaky hands holding a head upright. _Scott_. She sat up as slowly as she could so she wouldn’t alarm him.

“Hey,” the broken voice greeted her.

“Hey,” softly, she responded.

“I’m sorry. For…not coming earlier.” Not quite eloquent, but it would do.

“What the hell is going on, Scott?”

“Honestly? I don’t know,” he sighed. His hands dropped and he sat up a little straighter. “You’re awake.”

“The problem is, I don’t remember falling asleep.”

He snorted, “You shouldn’t have been asleep. You should’ve been dead.”

Quizzical, “Why? How? What the hell happened? The last thing I remember was H-5668b and Peebee…Where’s Peebee? Where’s Vetra, Cora, Drack, Jaal, Suvi – everyone? Where’s everyone? Why did I wake up in a stasis pod, Scott?”

A beat. He sighed again. He never, not even for a second, thought that explaining what would be easy. But then again, he never thought she’d actually wake up. At least, not in his lifetime.

Scott stood up and slowly made his way to his sister. Her eyes were searching him for answers that he was reluctant to give.

He sat down next to her, his burly figure making her feel like a small child again, “The long answer? When you went into the vault on H-5668b, you were disconnected from SAM. No one knows why or even how. When Peebee dragged you back to the ship hours later, you were unconscious. Lexi told us you were hemorrhaging. We don’t know why, but SAM thinks it’s because you interfaced with Remnant without him. He suggested we put you into stasis again. That maybe he could help you, over time, fix the internal damage. It was a long shot. Nexus decided it was the best course of action. Saved them from having to tell everyone that another Pathfinder was dead.”

He paused. Let her soak it in. She closed her eyes and exhaled, “How long has it been?”

“Seventeen years, give or take a few months.”

She whistled, “Damn. Guess I missed all the fun.”

Scott smiled wryly, “I think there’s still some adventure left.”

She opened an eye and peered at him, “Are you telling me you’re forty years old?”

Now the smile turned genuine, “Finally the older twin.”

It was her turn to snort, “Not on your life.” She pushed his shoulder. He pushed back. Inside, he was still confused and angry with her, a mixture of shock and residual mourning, and not at all convinced that this wasn’t a dream. But whatever he felt, he couldn’t deny that he’d missed her. And he wondered just briefly if this was how she felt when he’d woken up from the coma he’d been in when they’d first got to Andromeda.

“So,” she dragged out, emphasizing the ‘o’, “I hear you’re Pathfinder now?”

Scott shrank a little. He’d always felt awkward having the title. The acquisition of it wasn’t something he particularly liked to share, “Yeah. I’m Pathfinder.”

Sara nodded, trying to get a read on him, “But wasn’t that supposed to be Cora’s job or, am I missing something?”

He cleared his throat, “It was. It was her job.”

Sara’s breath stopped, lips parted, eyes wide, “Scott, I’m so –“

He cut her off before she got the wrong idea, “No, no, it’s not like that. She didn’t die. She’s still very, very much alive.”

A sigh of relief, “Then how did –“

“That…is complicated,” he scratched the back of his neck, grimacing a little.

Sara’s eyebrow lifted in the signature Ryder brow quirk, “Assuming we’re on our way to the Nexus from wherever the hell we were, I think we’ve got time to go over my lost years.”

Years. That thought sounded so foreign to Sara. Just yesterday, she’d been running around the same room, partaking in a mob chase after Gil after he’d beaten them all out of their best hands _the seventh time in a row_. But that wasn’t yesterday. That was, what was it? Seventeen? Seventeen years ago. The pit in her stomach traveled up to her throat, threatening to spill out in tears, but she swallowed it down, “You’ve still gotta tell me where my crew is, too.”

Scott bit his lip and relented, “We just got off Meridian. So, yeah, it’s gonna take a while.” He stood up, “Better get comfortable, then. Want some coffee?”

She grimaced, “If it’s anything like what they gave me in the cryo bay, I’ll pass.”

He smiled, “Sorry about that. A few years ago, they updated post-stasis procedure to include ingestion of a serum to fix any neural pattern alteration that might’ve happened in stasis.” He tucked his hands in his pockets, a new habit he seemed to have picked up, “Turns out the reason the Initiative was so full of criminal types was because of maladaptation in stasis. Got a lot of good people back on board when we were able to introduce it on Kadara and Elaaden. Can thank Lexi for that, actually.”

“Glad she was able to do something with those samples she had me take. How is she?”

Scott shrugged with an uninformative, “Good.” She rolled her eyes. Seventeen years and this was her briefing? She wanted a new tour guide. He shuffled his feet, “So, coffee?”

Sara shook her head, “I just want to know what’s happened, Scott. Everything is so…different. Which, with being unceremoniously dumped seventeen years into the future, that isn’t all that surprising, but I need actual information. Not…’good.’ I’ve got so many questions and I don’t know what I don’t know.” She paused, “The Tempest is…a shithole. Your crew is – well, first of all _your_ crew – and all human. And this is the first time you’ve looked me in the eye since I woke up. I want to know what happened. I want to know where everyone is. I want to know why you’re Pathfinder, and I know you. The second you get up to go anywhere, you’re going to avoid this conversation. So, spill, Scott. I need to know.”

Scott sat back down, a little more deflated.

“Where to start?” he muttered, mostly to himself.

“How ‘bout the part where my lieutenant got mutinied?”

He narrowed his eyes, “She didn’t get mutinied.”

Sara threw up her hand and leaned her shoulder into the bench, facing Scott sideways, “Then tell me the story. I like stories. Even mutiny-free ones.”

He frowned, “About a month after you die – no, after you went into stasis…” A pause, “SAM suggested transitioning the role of Pathfinder. You were still alive, so it had to be manually done. Which meant that Cora had to agree. And she did. She was Pathfinder for a few years. We got married –“

“Hold up, hold up, hold up, you pressed fast forward and I need you to rewind.” Sara waved a hand in face, signaling him to stop. She stood up straighter and her eyebrows shot up, “My little brother got married and _this_ is how he tells me?”

Scott gave her a sad smile, “I _was_ married. Past tense.”

Sara sat back, “Damn. And here I dared to believe there was such a thing as ‘happily ever afters.’”

“Maybe somewhere in Heleus, but not for me,” Scott played with his fingers.

Softening her features, she reached out for his arm, “Hey, you may be old, but you’re not out of commission just yet, old man. Take it from the top.”

He nodded, “We got married about a year after you were put in stasis. I was on her crew. So were Vetra, Drack, and Jaal. Suvi, Kallo, and Lexi stayed on to help with the ship. New engineer, though. Same guy I have now, in fact.”

Sara furrowed her brows, “What happened to -?”

Scott lifted up his finger, “We’ll get there. Lots of info, limited me time. About two years after we got married, we had twins.”

Sara almost shot up out of her seat, “You have kids?! You got married and you have kids?! My god,” she threw herself back on the bench, arms splayed out. “You really have grown up, haven’t you?”

He gave her a shy, goofy dad-grin, “I’ve got pictures of the twins, if you want to see.”

“Abso-friggin-lutely. And I want to meet them, too. I can just imagine – two mini you-and-Cora’s looking for trouble. Twins, huh? How old are they now?”

“Just turned fourteen.”

A beat. A hitch in breath. A shallow, frustrated voice, “Damn it, Scott….I was supposed to be there for this.” Sara’s jaw tightened.

Seventeen years was just starting to hit her. It may have been nothing compared to their over six-hundred-year voyage, but it was everything when the people she loved were moving on with their lives without her.

It was Scott’s turn to squeeze Sara’s arm. He knew exactly what she’d missed because he’d felt the emptiness of it all without her there.

“You’re here now.” She couldn’t help it if one small, measly tear escaped her right eye. Or if another small, measly tear chased down right after it. For his part, Scott didn’t say anything. He just brought her in close, and for the first time since she woke up, he hugged his sister. They sat like that for a few minutes. She took time to compose herself. He tried not to cry, himself, as it finally hit him that his sister was alive. Almost twenty years younger than him now and closer to his kids’ ages than his, but she was alive.

Sniffling, she gently pushed him away, like she always eventually did, “Okay.” She exhaled, “Enough of that.” Who’d ordered the Ryder Crying Fest?

Scott nodded and sat back, “I’ll show you the pictures later.”

Sara smiled and discreetly wiped away one last rogue tear, “I’d like that.”

He patted the bench and readjusted himself, “So…after about, more or less, two years of domestic bliss, it kinda…well, it was my fault. I think. When they manually authorized transition of the Pathfinder role to Cora, dad’s memory lock reset.”

Sara grimaced as she sniffled, “Shit. I’d almost forgotten about that.”

He returned the expression, “Yeah, well. I, unfortunately, _did_ actually forget about that. Took her five years total to unlock the memories. Five days to bust my ass for not telling her about it.” He dropped his voice, “Especially about mom. I should’ve told her about mom, Sara. I know should’ve. Jien Garson’s murder, the benefactor – that wasn’t so bad. I mean, it was, but it wasn’t…personal. She hadn’t realized why dad had given the Pathfinder role to you before then. And when she got it…Well, I preferred being a husband to being Pathfinder, but don’t tell my crew that.”

Sara inhaled, “That’s…a lot to take in, Scott. I’m sorry that happened.”

He smiled weakly at her, “I’m sorry it happened, too. But, anyway, that’s not…that’s twelve years in the past. I still love her. I’ll always love her. And I don’t see the kids nearly as often as I want to, but…what’s done is done.”

“But you still haven’t told me how _you_ became Pathfinder.”

“I was lieutenant. And she said the role had always belonged to a Ryder. I got the feeling that we’d both preferred that Ryder had been you, but…I’ve been trying my best. Got big shoes to fill,” he grinned at her.

And that, right in front of her, was her baby brother. If someone had told her that this dark, brooding, responsible mess would be what her brother would become, she’d have laughed them out of a solar system. But he was there and that’s what had happened. Living in the future was going to be hard to get used to, but she’d been through worse, right?

“Anyway,” he stretched. “That’s me. That’s my life.”

Cue signature Ryder brow, “And my crew?”

He melted back into the bench, “Now there’s where you’re gonna get your stories. They’re around. Most of them.”

Sara motioned toward the interior of the ship, “Around?”

He shrugged, “Well, not _that_ around. Only original crew member is Lexi, still. She’s at a medical conference on the Nexus right now and I know she’s going to be dying to see you.”

Sara smiled and raised her eyebrows, “What me? I’m nothing special. Just a medical miracle, apparently.”

Scott chuckled, “In so many ways, little sister.”

She punched his arm, maybe a bit too roughly, “I don’t care what you say or how much time passes by, I’m still the older twin.”

He pouted and massaged his arm, knowing that it had a good probability of bruising by the morning, “You’re definitely the aggressive twin, I’ll give you that much.”

She rolled her eyes and motioned for him to continue his briefing.

He rolled his own eyes in return, “Well…Gil’s on Eos. He’s one of the major partners of an engineering corporation there. His son’s about to graduate secondary schooling. Suvi’s a professor of something or other on Meridian. Lexi’s got Drack stuck on the Nexus. It was either there with Kesh and Erka or on Elaaden with the Overlord of all Overlords, Morda.” Scott shook his head, “You missed a lot on Elaaden. Probably for the best. Anyway, he chose the Nexus. Lexi goes to see him every once in a while. Vetra’s on Kadara. Hit it big over there. That place definitely cleaned up after the serum. Jaal’s a major bigwig on the Nexus. You’ll probably see him. He could give you a much better run down than me.” He ticked off his fingers, “Am I missing anyone?”

If Sara had had a big enough object to chuck at him, she would’ve done it, “Oh, y’know, just my pilot, crisis specialist, ex-sister-in-law, and my _girlfriend_.” She swallowed again. The pit was rising. She was trying especially hard not to think of Peebee, but a million different possibilities were floating in her head and none of them had good connotations.

Scott scowled. He thought if he’d just rattled off quickly, he could get by without getting into the less savory details. It was obviously a long shot, but he’d tried. Reluctantly, he continued, “Kallo’s been dead for a year. Had an aneurysm. One of Andromeda’s biggest losses. He was the best damn pilot in Heleus and everyone knew it. Kept him as long as I could at the helm before he decided to be a director at some flight academy. His death hit Suvi hard. She’s barely been on a ship since.”

Sara frowned, her eyes cast down. If she sat still enough, she swore she could still hear her pilot humming softly from the bridge, something he would only do when he thought everyone was asleep. She remembered when Kallo would talk about the Tempest design team. How he could still see and feel everything as if it was still happening. She finally understood that.

“Liam’s been MIA since Cora was made Pathfinder. Had an argument with Nexus leadership after the transfer and then stormed out. Haven’t seen or heard from him again.”

That…sounded like Liam. Sara sighed. She wasn’t surprised. Maybe disappointed, but definitely not surprised.

“Cora’s on Eos, same settlement as Gil. Seth and Serena go to school there while Cora teaches some of the kids how to use their biotics,” there was a ghost of a smile on Scott’s lips. “She’s even gotten a couple of community gardening projects running. She’s doing great.”

Sadly, Sara smiled at him, “I honestly can’t believe I missed you two together.”

Scott waved her off, eager to bypass the subject, “And then there’s Peebee.” Sara sat up a little straighter.

Expectantly, “Yeah? Where is she?”

Scott shrugged, “I don’t know. We think she’s on some mining colony, but honestly? Could be anywhere. She booked it after you were put into stasis.”

Sara blanched. That was definitely one of the not-so-good scenarios that had run through her head before. _Damn it, Peebee,_ she thought. _If I have to travel the entire galaxy to find you again, I swear I will._ Sara pursed her lips. Damn the insecurities and what-if’s that were flooding into her head by the second. This was a promise she would make, no matter what the consequences would turn out to be.

Her jaw set firm, “I’ll find her.”

Scott raised his eyebrows and gave her an incredulous smile, “If anyone can, it’s you, Path…” He trailed off.

And it hit them both at the same time, like a bright red brick wall they should’ve seen coming a mile away.

She wasn’t the Pathfinder anymore. He was.


	3. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Dah

The trip from Meridian to the Nexus had been quiet. Sara hadn’t stopped internally hitting herself for not instantly understanding the full ramifications of a seventeen-year nap. But how could she have known? Time was relative. Even the six-hundred-year journey hadn’t felt six-hundred-years long. But while she was still reeling from the past, reality was clamping down around her – demanding answers.

If Scott was Pathfinder now…what was she? That was a harsh reality to face up to. She didn’t even know if Pathfinder was a role that could be reversed. And in any case, she wasn’t going to just overrun her brother’s operation. He’d had this job longer than she had now. So, that was out. Was she a civilian? An ordinary, private citizen expected to live out her life making contributions for the collective whole and reproduce for the continuation of humanity? She was only 23. While she was sure that maybe one day she could settle down and live that existence out, right now she was still full of so much life. She’d come to Andromeda to explore, to find a home. But if humanity already had a Pathfinder, why would they need her?

Scott hadn’t been a huge help, as usual. He’d introduced her to the crew and they’d all made polite small talk, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the entire situation wasn’t right. They’d picked up on that and left her largely to herself, and she’d been thankful. Sara had taken up temporary residence in the Pathfinder’s Quarters, reading datapads and listening to HNS on Scott’s radio.

Occasionally, she’d pick out a tid bit here and there of things she’d recognize – like Keri T’Vessa’s voice or “Keynote Speech from Lexi T'Perro and Lumont Hayjer Concerning Reverse Exaltation,” but some things just slid right off. Even SAM was giving her space, only calling to her attention that the shower was unoccupied or that dinner was ready via the comms array. The fact that he wasn’t using their private channel was another baffling development.

When she’d wander through the Tempest’s floors during the night cycle, she couldn’t help but feel like she was walking on the Natanus again. A ghost ship. Where once she could hear Jaal and Liam’s snores from the aft of the ship, now there was only silence. This was her mourning period. This would be the only time that she would give herself to reconcile with a past she hadn’t known she had lost. Because tomorrow was meant for a new dawn and a new beginning, in whatever form it would take shape.

And so “quiet” had turned out to be an understatement. She’d much rather preferred the term “deafening.”

The morning they arrived at the Nexus, she’d woken up with a mild headache. It’d been the same one that had been dogging her since she’d woken up out of stasis and hadn’t been able to shake off. Scott had offered her some baby aspirin, but she’d shoo-ed his hand away, much preferring to let it settle down on its own, even though she knew she’d need a clear head for the day ahead of her. Facing Nexus leadership had always been so _fun_ in the past. She just hoped Kesh would still be there. Then maybe she’d be able to tolerate Tann and Addison’s grating condescension.

Scott and her were the last to step off the Tempest. The rest of the crew were relieved to be on shore leave again and to get as far as possible from the somber tones of the ship. She couldn’t blame them. Had she been on the other side of this, she’d probably be running for the Vortex, too. Assuming it still existed.

While her brother stayed behind to talk to some of the dockhands, Sara took a step outside of the sliding doors that led into the docking bay courtyard.

The sudden onset of the simulated bright daylight temporarily blinded her. She closed her eyes, bright flecks still shining through. She hadn’t recalled the lighting transition to be so jolting.

Slowly, she pried her eyes open. The shocking greens and blues of fauna gradually overtook her senses. The bay was larger than she’d last seen it.

People were everywhere. Humans, turians, asari, angara, salarians, even krogans. Krogans on the Nexus. Huh. Times _had_ changed.

Cargo was being hauled in carts, swarming to avoid the lines of people waiting for transport or standing at a kiosk, ogling at knick knacks and bobbles. There was a food court selling what smelled to be fresh food – not heated protein cans like before. A fortune teller’s stand was drawing an audience, choruses of ooh’s and ahh’s occasionally overpowering the urban noise. Some teenagers sat in a circle, playing the radio and passing around an exotic plant, sniffing it and taking little bites out of the leaves.

It was lively and packed and Sara hadn’t ever seen anything like it. The Citadel be damned. _This_ was the hub of galactic life. The mixture of aromas and sounds collided to create something so utterly unique. So _Heleus_.

She hadn’t been around to build this. Sure, she’d helped get the Nexus the resources it needed to keep from becoming a failed initiative. Sure, she’d set up some outposts and rehabilitated planets. But she couldn’t take any responsibility for the thriving civilian life she was not witnessing. Maybe it wouldn’t have been possible without her. But seeing what they’d accomplished while she was in stasis…the Initiative could’ve survived without her. She was sure of it. And for the first time in a long time, Sara felt expendable.

Scott tapped her shoulder, dispelling her the thoughts she thought she’d be able to quell. She hadn’t known what to expect when they’d reached the Nexus, but from the state of the Tempest, she hadn’t expected the Nexus to be so alive. She should’ve known better. Life was resilient, with or without a hero.

Sara closed her mouth, cheeks flushed. She hadn’t realized that she’d been gawking.

Scott smiled and chuckled, “Ready to head over to Pathfinder HQ?”

As she started to nod, a swarm of human teenage girls pounced in on them. They wore blue t-shirts with block letter print saying “We <3 Scott” and one girl had a button with Scott’s charming, if grizzled face on it. They reminded her of barely tamed adhi – excited, rabid, and wide-eyed.

“Scott Ryder!” the shortest girl of the group shrilled, face reminiscent of an Earth lobster. “I can’t believe it’s really you. Oh my goddess, I’m going to die. You’re our idol! Will you – oh my goddess, please – sign our shirts, please!” She grabbed a fistful of her oversized t-shirt and hastily pulled out a marker from her purse and shoved it towards him. The other girls, gushing, followed suit.

Sara glanced bemusedly to Scott. He was chuckling and taking it in stride. And she thought he’d gotten enough attention in secondary school.

He took the marker and started signing. Sara tilted her head back to the salivating herd, “Your idol, huh?”

The short girl nodded profusely, still lazer-focused on Scott’s face, “He’s the bravest, most daring Pathfinder. He wiped the kett out of existence all by himself. My dad calls him the kett slayer.”

“My mom says Prodromos calls him the Hero of Bermu!” another girl chimed in behind her.

“Bermu?” Sara asked.

The second girl managed to draw her eyes from Scott’s awkward writing to look at Sara funnily for a second, “Yeah, _Bermu_. What, have you been living under a rock?”

Sara quipped, “You wouldn’t be far off.”

The second girl squinted her eyes and took a harder look at Sara. Then at Scott. Then back to Sara. It looked as if her mind was trying to solve a puzzle, the way she kept scrutinizing them. Then the dawning of realization showed through her widened eyes and her lips parted in a small “o”.

Near breathless, she pointed toward Sara and exclaimed, “You’re Sara Ryder! Oh my goddess, are you Sara Ryder? Oh my, oh my goddess. It’s Sara Ryder! She’s back from the dead! She’s a zombie! Sara Ryder’s a zombie!”

The other girls snapped their heads in Sara’s direction, finally taking stock of her presence for the first time, with a herd-like attention.

A moment of silence and then they shrieked, a high pitch noise that drew the attention of every nearby passerby. Over and over, the girl kept yelling her name and whispers of ‘Sara Ryder?’ ‘I thought she was dead?’ ‘No, she was in stasis.’ ‘Is that really her?’ ‘How could it be?’ snaked through the crowd. Murmurs turned to chatter which turned to rumbles and everyone turned to face her.

Scott hooked his arm across Sara’s shoulders and pulled her away, “And I think that’s our cue to leave. Take care, girls!” He waved as they half-swooned, half-gawked and practically dragged Sara off her toes.

She was about to protest his methods as he opened the door of a nearby taxi and slid her in. The door closed behind them, only managing to slightly dim the onslaught of people charging their way.

Scott leaned forward and tapped the driver’s seat, “Operations, please?”

The older gentleman behind the wheel looked at Scott through the rearview mirror, “Don’t ‘spose you got an authorization pass, do ya?”

Scott reached toward his pocket quickly, pulling out an ID, “Here.” He shoved it to the front. The old man rubbed his eyes and brought the ID close to his face. Well, this was going to be a safe ride. After a second, he nodded and gave it back. “Ten credits.”

Scott cursed and reached into his pocket again, fumbling. He checked out the mirror and saw the crowd almost approaching the taxi, “Drive and I’ll give it to you when we’re there.”

The old man shrugged, unperturbed, “Fine with me.”

Scott shot Sara a look that she’d recognize anywhere. _Thank god for lax drivers_ ; _I don’t have credits._ She rolled her eyes. Of course he wouldn’t.

The old man pressed the accelerator and they were off. The crowd below them bellowed for their return.

Sara couldn’t make out all the details of the completed Nexus, but it was a behemoth. Every corner of it was lit up, little specks of people moved through balconies on all sides and taxis dominated the in-between. Billboards flashed advertisements for gaudy boutiques, tech corporations, used shuttles, and a presumably popular consort service.

The ride was shorter than she thought it’d be. The breadth of operational Nexus space had spread considerably. She couldn’t have dared imagine this a few days ago. Well, seventeen years and a few days ago. Still had to get used to that.

When they parked, the old man looked over to Scott in the rearview mirror, expectantly.

Scott nodded, “I completely forgot my wallet. Rain check, old buddy?”

The old man raised an eyebrow, “I ain’t yer buddy, pal. No one skips out on their bill. Not even a Pathfinder.”

Scott nodded again, “Well, hang on to her. She’s my collateral. I’ll be back in a jiff.”

Scott dashed out of the taxi faster than the driver could lock the doors.

The old man cursed something odd under his breath and then turned to Sara, “Don’t ‘spose you know what a jiff is, huh?”

Sara shrugged, only a tinge annoyed at the situation. She couldn’t recall the amount of times Scott had pulled something like this back in the Milky Way, “I haven’t got a clue.”

Time seemed to drag on while they waited. The old man had begun to lightly snore and Sara sighed. If only she could’ve reached the unlock button from her position in the back.

She took the delay to inspect the Operations base. It seemed that was to main theme here. Sit and stare.

There were more people in the Operations base than in the Docking Bay, if she could believe it. All busy. Signs pointed toward embassies, the communications hub, N-Sec, militia HQ, and a dozen other sites. Pathfinder HQ was presumably the building right in front of the taxi parking zone. At least, that was what the big, bolded signage suggested. The ‘i’ flickered on and off. Watching it was putting her to sleep.

Just as she was about to actually intent escape from the back seat if only to flee the boredom, there was a knock on the passenger side window. The old man was startled that he nearly choked mid-snore. Griping, he lowered the window.

“Hiya, Rick. Just transferred twenty credits to you. Should be enough, right?”

The old man nodded while smacking his lips together and he pressed the unlock button. Sara shot him a quick smile and opened her door.

And right there, in all his magnificence, stood a tall and proud Avitus Rix boasting a smile about ten feet long. Scott stood sheepishly behind him, though by no means actually embarrassed.

Avitus gave her a once over, “You look pretty good for being dead.”

“Shucks, do you say that to all the girls, or just me?” Sara grinned, reaching out to shake his hand. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been helping some turian survivors they’d found on a meteor hidden in a small pocket of the Scourge. It was good to see a face she recognized besides Scott’s.

He pushed her hand away and leaned in to hug her, taking her by surprise. He’d never been the affectionate type, “You’re the only one I know who’d come back from the dead about as many times as I have fingers.”

“I’m tellin’ ya, it’s a Ryder trait. She gets it from me,” Scott chimed in.

Sara ignored Scott and leaned out of Avitus’ tight squeeze, “I didn’t die-”

Avitus cut her off, “Yeah, I know, I know. You magically woke up from a death-by-stasis and yadda yadda yadda. Point is, you’re miraculously alive. It’s good to finally see the good-looking Ryder back in action.”

Scott’s muffled “Hey!” got lost in the drones of machinery and chatter around them as they headed into the Pathfinder HQ.

It was a large room, two stories tall with a grand staircase in the middle and a couple of doors on the second floor. A lot like the older one that she was used to, but somehow more professional. No one was in there, save the receptionist. When the young female turian looked up from her desk to greet them, her eyes nearly bulged out of her exoskeleton, “Oh, my – you’re, you’re Sara Ry – I mean, Pathfi – no, Sara, no, um –“

Sara smiled, feeling almost as self-conscious as the turian looked, “You can call me Sara. Hi.” She extended her hand, “You are?”

The turian looked like she was about to faint, “D-Decima Prax.” She cleared her throat and visibly tried to compose herself. Turning to the amused faces of Avitus and Scott she clicked her tongue, “Goodmorning, Pathfinders. Pathfinder Ryder, Councilor Delaney wanted to have a word with you when you docked. You should see her as soon as possible.”

Scott smiled, “Will do, Decima. Thanks. Anything else?”

Decima shook her head, stole a glimpse at Sara – still bug eyed – and continued doing whatever it was she was doing on her terminal.

They led her up the stairs.

“I didn’t think I’d be this popular,” Sara said.

Avitus laughed, “You shouldn’t be so surprised. A former Pathfinder back from the grave? You’re all anyone in the know’s been talking about for days now. It’s like seeing a ghost.”

“I definitely feel like one,” Sara scanned the room. “Nice digs.”

Scott nodded, “This place’s been great. Finally opened about three years ago. We’ve got our independent stations up here, a central hub for data sharing and accessing the map collection downstairs, and,” he motioned toward the doors on either side of the floor, “our very own apartments. No more Tempest naps while docked here.” Scott pointed toward the door on the far left corner of the room, “That one’s mine and next to it is Avitus’. On the other side, there’s Vederia and Aquillo.”

Sara furrowed her brow and tried to remember an Aquillo, “Aquillo?”

Avitus responded, “New salarian Pathfinder. He’s a delight.” His voiced dripped like sour honey.

“Came in to replace Hayjer. Aquillo’s not a bad Pathfinder. He’s just…special. In any case, he tried going after the quarian ark a few months back. Got stuck in the Scourge. Even with Kalloride. He’s been hanging here since and I think it’s getting to him,” her brother said.

“Yeah, well, it’s getting to me, too,” Avitus grumbled.

Scott gave Avitus a sympathetic look and patted Sara’s shoulder as he motioned to exit the room, “I’ll be right back. Gonna go talk with Councilor Delaney.”

It was the second time Sara had heard that name now. And the title hadn’t slipped past her.

“Councilor?” Sara asked.

Avitus nodded with a furrowed brow, “Scott didn’t tell you?”

Sara stared at him blankly, “If I had to choose between Scott and an elcor to explain to me anything more complicated than basic string theory, I’d pick the elcor – any day of the week, hands down.”

Avitus chuckled, “That’s fair. Yeah, the Nexus Council was established about, maybe, ten years ago? It’s a free-for-all shit-show. Politicians are still useless, no matter what galaxy they’re in. Give themselves a pat on the back for the work we do. Threw us a parade a couple of years ago to ‘honor Heleus’ heroes.’ If you would’ve asked me, I’d have preferred a pay raise. One-upped the Citadel Council, though. Finally achieved galactic equality after over 2,000 years.”

Avitus made his way over to his station. The terminal was circular with a small opening and a bench in the middle. When he pressed down on one of the buttons, a holoscreen popped up, showing off a miniature map of Heleus, “Come here, I want to show you something.”

Sara stepped inside the terminal, not quite sure what she was looking at. Sure, it was Heleus. But there were about a dozen sectors she didn’t recognize, six functioning planets that she’d never heard of, and steady streams flowing all throughout Heleus, connecting to the Nexus.

Entranced, “What _is_ all this?”

“It’s our live view of Heleus. After your brother wiped out the kett on Bermu, we managed to finally keep some satellites up for more than a few months at a time. Now the Nexus can access these images any time they want and track Heleus’ progress over time. The Nexus likes that it can pinpoint sustainable development. Me? I like knowing we have something worth taking risks for. We made all this possible and now people thrive because of us. It’s…humbling,” humor tinged the undertones of his voice.

Sara turned her head to face him, brow crinkled in thought, “One of my brother’s groupies also mentioned something about Bermu. What happened there?”

Avitus looked surprised and pulled up a close up of Bermu on his screen. It was located in the Skeldah system. Tropical and diverse wildlife, but no outposts. The official Nexus summaries were less than informative. Avitus answered, “Wow. Scott really didn’t tell you anything, did he? It was plastered everywhere from here to the tips of the Scourge. Huge morale booster, they said. Biggest thing to happen since you faced down the Archon. About eight years ago, Scott and his team raided the last kett facilities on a planet we habilitated – Bermu. Didn’t know it was also the central network for kett operations in Heleus. Still, Scott took ‘em on and managed to blow up every single damn exaltation facility left. Lost his whole squad on the mission. They were the best team out in the field. I keep telling Kaandros and Evfra that it wouldn’t have happened if we’d just had some kind Spectre program. Reconnaissance, sabotage, hell – just a way to call in the heavy cavalry.”

Sara was floored. Not two decades into the greatest migration in known history and the Initiative had a new race, a semi-functional Council, more than four new homes, and here was Avitus, talking about reviving one of the most controversial and elite military programs they’d left behind in the Milky Way. Not without concern, she raised her hand, “Spectres, Avitus?”

Before Avitus could answer, the downstairs door slid open. Decima courteously greeted the pair sauntering into HQ. Scott trudged up the stairs, behind him a tall, dark skinned human woman gracefully, silkily ascended the steps. She was dressed in white and green robes with an old style pencil tucked behind her left ear.

At the top of the stairs, the woman’s long strides overtook Scott’s and she extended her hand toward Sara, smiling warmly if not sleekly, “Sara Ryder. I am Merriam Delaney. Human Councilor in Andromeda. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I have to say, when Scott and SAM informed me of the change in your condition, I hadn’t expected you to arrive so soon. I should have known better than doubt a Ryder. You look stunning.”

Sara hesitantly met the hand with her own, a little surprised at the firm shake she received in response, “Um, yeah.” She was so eloquent, sometimes.

Councilor Delaney’s eyes twinkled. Sara had never met someone so _regal_. The Councilor gripped Sara’s hand with both of hers, squeezed once, and then let go, “I trust Pathfinder Rix has been accommodating.” Avitus let out a small ‘hrrmph’ and powered down his terminal. “The full Council would like to speak to you now. Your presence has brought on many questions, Sara Ryder. We hope you may be able to answer them.”

Sara gulped.


	4. A Ghost, A Spectre

Their footsteps echoed as they stepped into the Council Chambers. Dim lights did little to obscure the palace-like ornamentation surrounding them. The long hallways stretched ahead of them, leading to a grand staircase. Chandeliers hung from above and mirrors lined the walls. As they moved through the room, Sara took a moment to examine herself in the them. Her complexion had paled considerably. She looked sunken and unrested. Zombie Sara, indeed.

She turned her critical eye to Scott. His face was unkempt, uniform disheveled. But where she looked lifeless and weak – something she loathed to admit – he was vibrant and muscular. The difference between seventeen years recovering and seventeen years in the field. The age difference was also unnerving. The resemblance was still there, but if no one had ever heard of the Ryder twins, she’d doubt they’d think she was his sister. Daughter, maybe.

Councilor Delaney led them up the stairs. Her steps were deliberate, even, sure. Avitus – who had insisted on accompanying them, despite the Councilor’s best attempts at assuagement – and Scott flanked her, giving them the image of seasoned bodyguards rather than the war heroes they were. Sara had fallen behind. She was hesitant and she couldn’t stop cursing herself for it.

Where was the cocky sass she’d cemented as Pathfinder? Where was her confidence? Her spunk? She slouched. Most definitely not in the Council Chambers, that was for sure.

She’d only ever seen the Milky Way Council in holograms or on special occasions on the Citadel. But under no circumstance had she ever been privy to a meeting, much less been the main attraction.

When they finally made it to the top, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Composure was key. Anything less and she was sure they’d be able to taste her agitation and pounce. She really, _really_ didn’t like politicians. Why’d they need to see here, again?

“Ryder. It is a pleasure to see you again.” The warm voice made Sara’s eyes snap open. There, sitting in one of the five simple chairs on a large stage, was Jaal. The angaran looked like he hadn’t aged a day. Then again, most angara looked like they never matured past thirty. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Opening and closing like a guppy, she resolved on keeping her mouth shut and not uttering a peep.

Her eyes trailed the rest of the faces of the Council. On Jaal’s right was Kesh, another stunning surprise. Sara could feel excitement bubbling up. So, this was where they’d ended up, huh? It was only right. They were the best of their people and even a fool would concede that.

Kesh’s face was stoic, but her eyes twinkled in recognition and she nodded in her direction. Oh, this was a doozy. Delaney took her place in the middle seat. To her right sat a turian, and two asari that she’d never met before.

The dynamics threw her off. Two asari? Where were the salarians? Kesh, a krogan, on the Council? If she’d been off kilter before, she was seriously close to slipping off a ledge now. Where was Umi with a neat whiskey when you needed her?

“The Council may now begin session,” Councilor Delaney announced. Suddenly, Sara felt like a sample under a microscope.

The turian cleared his throat, “I’d like to start off by expressing my relief over your recovery. You were truly a great Pathfinder and on behalf of the Council, I’d like to thank you for your service. But, uhm…” He stalled. His eyes darted to the other Councilor’s faces, trying to read their responses. “What in the hell happened on H-5668b? And how did you wake up?” All of the Councilors leaned forward, agitated with interest. Jaal stood up a little bit straighter, smoothing his purple and green robe. Kesh’s hands gripped her knees as she slouched toward Sara.

Sara let out a slow breath. Friendly faces, huh? “I honestly have no idea. One second, I was pal-ing around on an unexplored planet, about to open a Remnant vault and then…poof. I’m waking up from stasis. Scott’s seventeen years older – even has his own groupies, the kett are out of Heleus, everyone I know is scattered to the winds, I’m an aunt, and the Nexus has taxis. I was hoping you’d have more answers than me, truth be told.” She finished off weakly. By the looks on their faces, they seemed to be more disgruntled and disappointed than anything else. Jaal searched her face

Delaney sighed and gave a tight smile, “Well. We seem to be no closer to –“

Jaal cut her off, leaning forward and staring deep and intently into Sara’s eyes, “Ryder, you arrived at the ship in Pelessaria’s arms. You were so…broken. No one knew what had caused your condition. Pelessaria refused to tell _anyone_ what had…They said…they said you were as good as dead. We made the decision to keep you in a stasis pod, hoping that we could recuperate you someday. We didn’t expect you to suddenly just wake up. But now that you have…I saw you, Sara. I will never be able to forget. I believe we all need answers.”

Delaney stiffened, “We’ve tried to find Ms. B’Sayle before. It hasn’t panned out as we would have hoped. Seeing as she is the only lead, her presence is greatly desired.”

The asari on the far right spoke up, “I had just managed to get intel spotting her on H-047c when she disappeared again. Any future reliable information is not likely to be forthcoming.” She hesitated, darting her eyes between Avitus and Delaney. “At least, not through legal means.”

“Then, as I said before, we seem to be no closer to –“ Delaney was cut off again.

“We’ve been over this again and again. The Council can open up so many more doors if it just established a –“ Avitus’ stepped closer to the stage, even as Delaney was finally the one to intervene mid-sentence.

“A Spectre program is not the wisest course, Pathfinder Rix. We cannot sacrifice our Pathfinders for such endeavors when their resources are imperative to this cluster’s survival. And how are we supposed to uphold the law if we authorize lawlessness?”

Kesh piped up for the first time in the conversation, looking at Sara with a not-unfamiliar-stare that told her Kesh had an idea brewing, “Rix has a point, Councilor. We’re constrained by our own regulations and bureaucracy and goodness knows we have more than enough pirates and outcasts running around in Heleus that have a pretty good idea how to avoid us. We’re the ones who taught them and brought them here, after all. A… _trusted_ individual with the authority to act on our behalf? To me, that sounds like a fantastic idea right about now.”

Jaal cocked his head to the side, sneaking a glance at Kesh and then to Ryder, a grin tugging at his lips, “I concur. I have spoken at length with Pathfinder Rix about this subject. As long as this person were a _proven_ friend to the angara, I can see no reason to object.”

The turian and double asaris stared at Sara sternly, seeming to be making up their minds.

It was the turian that spoke first, “Ryder made Eos habitable. She gave the Initiative a hope when there was none. If you’re suggesting her, you’ve got my vote.” The asari’s quick nods were noted.

They all turned to look at Delaney. Delaney’s fingers played an imaginary keyboard against her knee.

After a minute, Councilor Delaney leveled her gaze at Sara’s eyes. Sara stood up, puffing out her chest and soldiering her jaw. A Spectre, huh? This hadn’t exactly been her plan going in here, but…well, she hadn’t had a plan to begin with. Being a Spectre mean that she could fly anywhere, do anything. She’d be able to help Heleus in ways she probably couldn’t now had she still been a Pathfinder. She looked over to Scott who was wrapt up in the dramatic intrigue of the entire thing. Scott would still be Pathfinder and she wouldn’t be robbing him of it. But most importantly, she thought to herself, it meant she was free to find Peebee.

“A _human_ Spectre?” by her tone of voice, Delaney wasn’t _totally_ at odds with the idea.

The turian nodded, “A war hero.”

Avitus grinned, “A Ryder.”

“The only Spectre for the moment?” Delaney asked. No one answered. She took that as a ‘yes.’

Delaney stole a sideways glance at the Council and nodded, “That is an acceptable arrangement.”

“Never thought I’d see the day,” Sara heard Avitus mutter under his breath, just a hint of accomplishment laced into his words.

Delaney sat back, “Very well. Sara Ryder, with the power vested in this Council, we offer you the role of Spectre. Should you accept, you will be tasked with ensuring the safety and order of this cluster. And with finding the elusive Ms. B’Sayle. You will answer directly to the Council _._ ”

Sara’s mouth was dry. She could feel her heart’s pace quicken and almost subconsciously, she started to nod, “I accept. I have every intention of finding PeeBee and getting answers. I…” She looked to Jaal and Kesh, each wearing a matching face of sincere, enthusiastic impatience, “I won’t let you down.”

Delaney quirked a brow, “You’d better not.”

Sara could hear Scott whistle and whisper quietly to Avitus, standing behind her, “Man, if I’d known seventeen years in a coma would get me a promotion…” By the subtle ‘ow’ that followed, she assumed Avitus had at least elbowed him. Hopefully hard.

The quiet asari interjected, “There _is_ the issue of logistics, however…”

Delaney waved her hand, “As a Spectre, you are expected to personally fund your expeditions. However, we will provide you a ship and a limited stipend for provisions. You’ll take the Tempest.”

Scott’s hand flew up in the air, “Um, hi. I’m kind of still using that.”

If Sara hadn’t known better, she’d thought that Delaney was on the verge of rolling her eyes, “The Typhoon has finished construction. You and your crew are expected to transfer all belongings before your next debarkation.”

Scott looked vaguely impressed, “And here I thought that ship was a myth.”

This time, Delaney did actually roll her eyes, “It has been fitted to suit your engineer’s specificities. I do not advise losing this ship, Pathfinder. Otherwise, you may find yourself indefinitely docked.” At that, Scott sheepishly stayed quiet and retreated back. Oh, Scott was so going to get an earful asking about that particular comment later.

Delaney looked to the other Councilors, “Will that be all?”

Jaal motioned with his hand, “I’d like to speak with our new…Spectre in my office. I believe we have much to discuss.” Jaal smiled at Sara. She noticed he seemed to be avoiding even looking at Scott.

“Once you’re done there, I think you’d like to stop by _my_ office. There are some people who might want to say ‘hello’ to you,” Kesh added. Sara could feel her face beaming.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Sara promised.

Delaney held her hand up, “Meeting adjourned.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second fanfic ever, first for Mass Effect. That being said, be harsh. We can learn on this journey together. Mild warning: It'll be a while until we get to Peebee's introduction, so the romance arc isn't instantaneous. In this for the long haul and I hope you stick with me. Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it.


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